Vengeance Is Mine
by Trelawney's Love Toy
Summary: After everything he has is striped away from him, Harry will stop at nothing to make those responsible pay. No One is Safe, no one is out of bounds, he will have his vengeance and no force on Earth will stop him.


This short fic was inspired by 'Unforgiven' by Goofball44306

**PLEASE READ THIS NOTE BEFORE READING THE FIC ITSELF**

I've had this just sitting on my computer for many months now and decided that as long as it was here I might as well post it.

This short fic was inspired by 'Unforgiven' by Goofball44306. The nature of Harry's home life with his family and his relationship with Padma Patil as well as his reasons for going after Voldemort comes from that fic with permission. Read that fic and what I used will be obvious, it's only about 3500 words long so it won't take you long at all.

This will be short, probably only two or three chapters long, but 'Illusions' and 'Wars' will be my primary focus, so those of you who think I'm losing interest in those, don't worry they will continue and be finished.

Vengeance is Mine

By

Trelawney's Love Toy

He cast his head in every conceivable direction looking for anything that could possibly aid in his escape but with ever increasing dread, he found nothing. From what he could tell, he was being held in what appeared to be an old lighthouse where, except for the collective dust and grim from years of abandonment, the only other objects in the room were an old wooden table and the unconscious body of his Potions Master, Severus Snape. By far, Snape certainly appeared to be in even worse condition than he himself was.

Just a few short days ago, if he were to be told that he would find himself in this position, he would have scoffed at the idea. While many of his enemies were indeed powerful, none of them had either the power or the raw nerve to attack him directly with such ruthless precision. While he wasn't pondering his impending fate, he was raging at himself mentally for being taken by surprise as he had. He never expected that anyone would be foolish enough to even contemplate the idea of walking right into his headquarters much less that they would succeed. All he could remember was waking up from a light slumber just in time to see the hail of curses that rained down on top of him before all went black once more.

In desperation, he began pulling at the chains holding him to the wall once again in yet another rather feeble attempt to free himself but it was all for naught. The chains were secured too well into the stone wall and there must have been a dampening field in place that negated the limited amount of wandless magic he was able to perform. He hung his head for a brief moment before the grating sound of steel on steel reached his ears and he pushed himself up against the wall as far as he could as he watched the large rusted latch on the door rise out of its lock before the heavy steel door was pushed open. He unconsciously held his breath as his captor walked in, closing the door behind him, and place a large duffle bag on the table, seemingly taking no notice of him or Snape for the time being which could only be a good sign.

He was not a man that was accustom to feeling fear at this stage in his life. Sure, when he was a younger man and still researching magic, he came across some who were so twisted that their overwhelming rage would make anyone nervous. But _this_ man, in the short time he had been held, he never once seemed angry, far from it, in fact. He seemed completely devoid of any emotions whatsoever. And that thought frightened him above all else.

Thankfully, the man had not yet paid much attention to him, preferring to take Snape into another room and do Merlin knows what. With silencing wards in place, he couldn't hear anything that went on but each time Snape was returned he was considerably worse off. He had no doubt that the man would succumb to death soon if he didn't receive any medical aid. Though he certainly didn't hold any affection for the man, he was somehow comforted with the fact that Snape was also a captive. The students had certainly returned to Hogwarts by now and Dumbledore would no doubt be searching for his missing professor. This would probably be one of the first times that he would actually like to see the old man walk through the door.

"I'm sure you have at least a general idea of what is to happen now, don't you, Tom?" Tom Riddle, the feared Dark Lord Voldemort, felt his eyes grew wide in fear as he was addressed directly for the first time since his capture two days ago. "I got everything I needed out of Snape in a matter of hours, the last three days have merely been for my own amusement. You, however, have a great deal of information that I desire, and I will get it. Unfortunately for you, unlike Snape, you have worked hard enough to make your mind inaccessible to the point that even Veritaserum can not be trusted, so this will be a most unpleasant experience." He wasn't quite sure what it was, but something inside him could not let this man speak to him in such a way, despite any fear he may be feeling. Besides, if he could stall, even for the slimmest of moments, he could have a chance.

"You are a fool, boy." Riddle spat with as much venom as his current emotional state would allow. "You can't even begin to imagine the power I have at my disposal. If you think you can take anything from me by force, you are delusional as well as idiotic."

"And yet here you are, at my mercy. Where is that great power of yours?" The younger man responded with a hollow voice. "I find it amusing that despite your experience with such matters, you are exhibiting the same mindset many of your own prisoners have shown over the years. First you bluster and posture for a bit, I will hurt you, then you'll go silent, so I hurt you some more. Then you will decide that it is in your best interests to give me something so that I will stop. So you drop a few names, real or imaginary. These are all delaying tactics and you will use them in the hope that if you last long enough someone will rescue you or you will find a means of escape. But in the end, your head will probably be fired from too much exposure to the Cruciatus Curse and so you will become useless to me so I have to get the majority of my information elsewhere. This is how it normally goes for you, is it not?

"You are an amateur, Tom. There are much more… creative, ways of inflicting pain that do not run nearly as high a risk as a Crucio. You see, I am perfectly sure that you will descend into each of those steps I just described, with one exception. There is another, more important step. One right before madness. That is when you break, you tell me everything in that little head of yours because you want nothing more than the pain to stop. You usually don't get to this point with your own prisoners because the Cruciatus destroys the mind too quickly. So, I'm afraid that we will have to do this the old fashion way." He explained calmly before opening his bag and removing a number of tools.

"And I assure you, death will not take you swiftly. But that is enough idle chitchat for now, so brace yourself, because this is _really_ going to hurt."

XXX

James and Lily Potter pushed their way through the silent crowd that packed Diagon Alley, struggling to get to the scene of what they were told was an appearance by Lord Voldemort himself. Judging by the lack of panic, it would seem that they were misinformed but any questions they asked were soundly ignored as everyone did the best that they could to see what was going on. Finally letting his normally composed nature slip a bit, Albus Dumbledore, who had been trailing his two senior Order members, drew his wand and with a casual flick, a path was opened up for them as the bystanders were gently nudged aside. After that, they made it through the crowd pretty quickly but the scene that was laid out in front of them caused them all to come to a sudden stop and gasp in shock.

Standing about thirty feet ahead of them was a crowd equally as large as the one they had just waded through and between them were only two figures. A lifeless body lay on the ground, blood pooling around it as the second figure slowly stood and savagely rammed the defeated wizard's head down on a four foot pike.

Each member of their little group had seen Voldemort on numerous occasions and, quite frankly, they didn't believe that he was capable of showing any emotion beyond hatred and blind rage. But the features cut into his lifeless face spoke of only ungodly terror and unending pain. Both Albus and James already had their wands in hand and Lily was quick to join them. While Voldemort's death was certainly something to be celebrated, mounting one's enemy's head in such a way was not the actions of a light wizard. It was a warning to anyone thinking of standing against him.

From what Lily could see of him, he looked fairly young, standing about five foot nine with long black hair that hung loose, obscuring his face. He had a few cuts and burns over his arms and torso but it was clear that the majority of the blood splashed around his body was not his own. He didn't seem to take any notice of the people watching as he casually ran his large dagger over Voldemort's robes, wiping off the blood.

"Who are you?" Dumbledore demanded as he raised his wand and brought his magic up around him in a visible aura. It was a great tactic for intimidation as few wizards were powerful enough to do such a thing and the feeling of all that raw power was nearly overwhelming and tended to make people uncomfortable. Most stepped back quickly, even James and Lily were slightly unnerved, but the man standing across from them didn't seem the least bit fazed.

"Are you really planning to use that wand, Headmaster? Are you really intending to murder another one of your students?" Though spoken quietly, his hollow, emotionless voice seemed to echo around the silent alley. Everyone looked around in confusion. When had Dumbledore murdered anyone, much less a student? It seemed Dumbledore was just as confused as everyone else, which only made the young man snort in disgust.

"Six days ago, Voldemort led an attack against Rakesh Patil and his family. He, along with his wife, Aditi, and daughters, Padma and Parvati were killed. _YOU, _and your pathetic Order, are responsible for their deaths."

"How dare you accuse Albus Dumbledore of…" Lily began to rage before the young man finally raised his head to look at her directly. The emerald green eyes boring into her stopped her in her tracks as she looked upon the face of her son in shock.

"Ja… Jacob?" She stuttered as everyone else, her husband and Dumbledore included, looked on with open mouths. "But…But you were at Hogwarts!" Her response only brought a sneer to her son's face.

"How pathetic, a mother who can't even tell her children apart, that is if you even remember that you gave birth to two sons." With a casual flick, Harry Potter pushed his matted hair back to reveal a completely unblemished forehead. No lightening bolt scar in sight. "But let's face it, after Voldemort gave Jacob that scar, he became your pride and joy, while I was handed off to the house elves to be raised in the servant's quarters and forgotten. My _brother," _Harry spat, as if such a simple word was something to be vilified. "Despite all the training you have given him over the years, could certainly not stand against Voldemort and come out on top. He was raised to be the ultimate Gryffindor after all, he simply does not have the single minded ruthlessness necessary to kill one such as him." He paused for a brief moment before continuing in a droning conversational tone. Much like Professor Binns, only it was doubtful that anyone here would fall asleep or turn their attention to other things until he was done.

"Growing up, I did all I could to try to win your affection but all the interaction you seemed to want from me was to pass the salt at dinner, if you even noticed my presence at all. I can't tell you how many times I cried myself to sleep as a child, wondering what I did to make you dislike me so much. What made me so undeserving of a shoulder to cry on or a simple hug from my parents when I needed it. I finally came to the conclusion that with the Boy-Who-Lived as your son, you simply had no room or time for another child. So I forgave you for that.

"Once I started Hogwarts, I thought maybe things would improve but I was sorted into Ravenclaw, not Gryffindor like every other Potter. One more reason to be ignored by your family. I thought that if I worked hard to do the best that I could, I may be able to earn, if not your love, then maybe just a simple word of praise. But despite remaining in the top five in each of my classes for six years in a row, it was also ignored. Jacob and his friends had been running around, thwarting Voldemort a few times so I rationalized that that was what you had to focus all your attention on, so once again, I forgave you."

"Perhaps it would be best if we were to move this discussion to a different venue?" Dumbledore spoke up in a reasonable tone. The last thing they needed right now was for the Potters to get into a public argument. Especially after young Harry had apparently killed the Dark Lord in a very brutal fashion. There would no doubt be those that would believe that he will become the next Dark Lord, a thought he was certainly not going to rule out.

"I think not, Headmaster!" Harry declined in that same hollow voice. It was almost as if his soul was dead but his body and mind simply hadn't realized it yet. "There are a great many things I have to say and this location is the perfect 'venue', as you say. I want these people to understand my actions here today so that you cannot twist them later on to fit your own views!"

"Do you really think so little of me?"

"You forget, Headmaster, I don't know you! You, like my parents, saw fit to ignore my existence because I don't have a scar on my forehead." Harry's low monotone voice was starting to make even Dumbledore nervous. He had never felt uneasy in a child's presence before and it was not a feeling he relished.

"In my forth year," He continued as if his brief conversation with the Headmaster had never occurred. "I became much closer to one of my housemates, Padma Patil. We had been fairly good friends since our first year, we both enjoyed our studies and unlike just about everyone else, she didn't constantly bombard me with questions about 'the great Jacob Potter'. She liked me for me, not who I was related to. We began dating a few weeks before the first task of the Tri-Wizard Tournament. The time we spent together, I had never been so happy in my life." The crowd surrounding him listened on in rapt attention, taking in every word. Many of the more soft-hearted present looked about ready to cry, knowing how this story would end. The Potters and Dumbledore, however, were looking horrified, for obvious reasons.

"Everything progressed wonderfully over the next year and a half. Despite my lack of experience with the emotion, I know without doubt that I was in love with her just as she was in love with me. During this past Easter break we were the only Ravenclaws in sixth year that chose to remain in Hogwarts, as a result, Padma spent most nights in my dorm with me. When the other students returned, we made a point to spend at least three nights a week together in the unoccupied Head Boy dorm in our tower. Shortly before term ended, she came to me in tears. She had just been to see Madam Pomfrey and discovered that she was pregnant. I made the supreme mistake of asking her what she wanted to do." For the first time, Harry began to show sign of emotion as a slight smile crept onto his face but it soon vanished. "I was unaware that a person could fire so many spells in such a short amount of time. It seemed that she took my question as an implication that I was open to the idea of terminating the pregnancy. It took quite some time to calm her down and explain that I simply meant that whatever she chose to do, I would stand by her, though, like her, my preference was to raise our child together.

"After a rather lengthy conversation, we slipped out of Hogwarts to explain the situation to her parents. They were most certainly not pleased but after her father questioned me extensively under Veritaserum and of course the customary dual to regain the family honor that was lost to me for impregnating his unwed daughter, they gave us their blessing and full support. We were married the day after Hogwarts let out for the summer."

"YOU LIE!" Lily had apparently heard enough and pointed her wand at Harry. "Who the hell are you? You are not Harry, my son would never have kept something like this from me." Try as he might, Harry was unable to prevent the loud bellowing laugh that escaped him as a result of this outburst, though there was no humor in it.

"When have you ever given me the impression that I could come to you with anything? When have I ever been able to confide in you? Here is an easier question. When was the last time you have even spoken to me?" Everyone watched as Lily looked back and forth between Harry, James and Dumbledore in confusion. They would never have believed it possible just minutes before but they were beginning to feel a great deal of contempt for the parents of the Boy-Who-Lived. "You can't remember, can you?" Harry sneered in disgust. "Term began two days ago and I hadn't set foot inside Potter manor once this summer, did you even notice? I didn't think so." He concluded after several moments of silence.

"I moved in with the Patils and although Padma's parents were more than willing to help out, I had no intention of becoming reliant on them or their generosity. I had a job lined up even before school let out and thus far had yet to take a day off, working myself to near exhaustion to make sure that we had everything we needed for when the baby was born. Everything was fine until I tried to floo home six days ago only to find the connection blocked. I tried apperating but there were apparently new wards in place that I was not keyed to. I'm sure those of you with families can understand the panic I felt when I came to the only conclusion available at the time.

"I apperated in as close as I could and ran the remaining distance and arrived just in time to see Voldemort himself kill Rakesh and apperate away. All of the Death Eaters present followed him but one was a little too slow. I managed to stun him before he could leave." Everyone watched as Harry seemed to fight with himself over how to continue. Many emotions played out on his face, most notably among them were anguish and rage. Those who lived through or with the fear of being in the same situation knew that the Death Eater was what he was going to be focused on once he continued. Speaking of the search for and finding his murdered wife would simply be too difficult.

"After some time, I was surprised by the sound of the wards coming down and the sudden appearance of two large groups. You, Dumbledore, and your Order, and James Fucking Potter leading a group of Aurors. Despite the fact that these were the people that were supposed to be leading the fight against Voldemort, I had absolutely no intention of handing over my captured Death Eater. I had much more _satisfying_ ideas in mind. With the wards down, using a portkey was my best option and since making one was easy enough, that is what I did, taking us to an isolated spot on the coast about twenty miles away before getting to work. Imagine my surprise when I removed the man's mask only to find my potions instructor." Despite the wide belief that the man was a Death Eater, just about everyone gasped in shock while Dumbledore went pale.

"Harry, Severus was a spy!" The old man gasped out, in fear for the man's fate. He had been greatly worried when he couldn't reach his potions master and that concern only grew when he did not arrive to Hogwarts for the start of term.

"Oh, I am well aware of that fact." Harry nodded in agreement with a slight smirk on his face. "By the time I was through with him, he would gladly have told me his entire life story. For someone who is no stranger to pain, I was sorely disappointed with his ability to withstand it." With a couple flicks of his wand a small leather bag he had on his belt grew in size while a new pike appeared a little to the left and behind the one currently supporting Voldemort's head.

Dumbledore watched on with growing dread, realizing what the boy had done. His fears were proven true as he watched the boy mount his young friend's head like some grizzly trophy. Harry looked around and felt a sense of satisfaction at the rather pale and ill faces staring at him in horror.

"Spy or not, he participated in the attack on my family and so he had to die." He stated in a cold tone that did nothing to contain his rage. "But before I allowed him the luxury of death, he was an excellent source of information. For instance…" As his eyes bored into Dumbledore's, everything about him, his tone, body language even the feeling his magic was giving off, spoke of only one thing. Supreme hatred.

"Snape warned you that Voldemort was planning to attack the Patils over a month ago. Two weeks ago he gave you the day and even the exact time of the attack. But, in your supreme wisdom, you chose not to warn them because you did not want Voldemort to suspect a spy in his inner circle, thus protecting Snape's position." Everyone snapped their attention to Dumbledore and were shocked to see the guilt practically spilling out of the man's horrified expression.

"It was James Potter's idea to wait ten or fifteen minutes _after_ the attack began before going to aid them so that they could help the family while still protecting Snape. After all, Voldemort would surely posture a bit, going on about the superiority of purebloods, and maybe throw around a few Cruciatus curses before actually killing anyone. Arriving fifteen minutes late would be more than enough time to save them. You even voted on the plan. How… democratic!" He sneered before reaching into his back pocket and pulled out a folded piece of parchment.

"The following people are now anathema to me. _Anyone _bearing the Dark Mark. I do not care if you are a spy for the Ministry, I do not care if you are a spy for Dumbledore, I do not care if you have seen the error of your ways and have joined a monastery to spend your days doing charity and your nights praying for salvation. If you were branded by Voldemort, I will hunt you down and kill you, period." Harry continued, reading off the list of names he had collected from both Snape and Voldemort. Close to seventy names in all, making many gasp in surprise as several of those listed were well known to them, holding positions of power in politics and industry.

"All current members of the Order of the Phoenix, including, but not excusive to,

Albus Dumbledore

Aberforth Dumbledore

Alastor Moody

Minerva McGonagall

Arthur Weasley

Molly Weasley

William Weasley

Charles Weasley

Ronald Weasley

Hermione Granger

Mundungus Fletcher

Kingsley Shacklebolt

Nymphadora Tonks

Emmeline Vance

Hestia Jones

Rubeus Hagrid

Remus Lupin

Sirius Black

Dedalus Diggle

Eiphius Doge

Sturgis Podmore

And Finally, James, Lily and Jacob Potter.

"Anyone standing between me and my target, whether they be your wife, husband, hired bodyguards, Aurors or even the Minister of Magic himself, will also die. The only ones free from this fate are children below the age of sixteen. Should you be cowardly enough to hide behind a child to try and protect yourself, your death will be most painful. If you are a member of either of these groups but have not been named, make no mistake about it, I will find you and I will kill you." He stated coldly as he looked his father in the eye.

"You can't do this! The Order of the Phoenix fights the Death Eaters, they are not criminals!" Giles Green, owner of Quality Quidditch Supplies, shouted in shock. Harry paid him no mind, never moving his gaze from a pale James Potter.

"All I've ever wanted was a family that I could love and be loved in return. I finally had that and, _you… took them from me!"_ Harry's grip on his rage, and possibly his sanity, was slipping quickly and everyone could see it.

"But Jacob has done nothing to you, he is just a boy." Lily sobbed loudly causing Harry to laugh once again.

"Just a boy, yet you have allowed him and his little friends to participate in your Order meetings since Voldemort regained his body. And if Snape's screams were accurate, your precious Boy-Who-Lived voted with his father, believing that leaving Padma to the _mercies _of Voldemort until you saw fit to act was the best option. Each of you," He continued, scanning the crowd around him. "Are probably thinking one of two things. One, you believe that I either don't have the ability to do as I said, or I don't have the stomach. Well, I assure you that I do. Or two, you believe that my intentions are too extreme. After all, killing many so called _light wizards_ certainly must wrong.

"But before you judge me or my actions, I want you to think about one very important question. What if it was your family that was sacrificed? What if the people you put your trust in to protect those around you deemed it to risky. Many of you have lost family to the Death Eaters and in light of what Dumbledore and his supporters allowed to happen to the Patils maybe you should ask yourselves if he chose to sacrifice your loved ones as well.

"With that in mind, would you simply forgive and forget. Maybe you would try to bring them up on charges? Dumbledore runs the Wizengamot and many of the rest of the Order hold other important positions in the Ministry. It would be quite easy for them to bury it. They are after all heroes, who do you think the people would support? Them, or some nobody they took everything from? No, the only way to get justice for my family is to treat them the same as the bastard who killed them." Everything went quiet as three stunning spells impacted a shield just three feet in front of where Harry stood. He couldn't help but grin as he slowly turned back to Dumbledore and his parents as they tried again with equal success, or rather, lack thereof. After a third attempt Dumbledore began waving his wand in some complicated manner while mumbling a long string of incantations. The result was the same. Absolutely no effect on the shield whatsoever.

"You look confused, old man. That a wizard that only finished his sixth year could hold a shield against you _vast_ power and knowledge." Harry mocked sarcastically. "Well, lets see if you recognize it as I finish my ritual." He snapped before drawing his wand and placing it over his heart. The words were so archaic that they were lost on most of those present and those that could understand them were unaware of their significance. The sole exception being Albus Dumbledore who seemed to pale further. The crowd that had been growing throughout could only stare dumbfounded at the proceedings. He had killed Voldemort, that was something to be celebrated. He vowed to hunt down and kill the Death Eaters, they could understand that if they simply ignored it. But killing people like Dumbledore and many other respected and influential members of their society? While many of them could understand his reasoning, they were a society that had almost been conditioned to be cowards. They didn't take a stand for anything unless it was in mass numbers. Whether they wanted to admit it or not, if Dumbledore walked into their home and killed their family himself, they probably wouldn't do anything about it. And yet here was this boy who not only faced, and killed, Voldemort but he was planning to do it to others as well.

Formally declaring someone to be anathema, as Harry had done, gave you the basic right to challenge a wizard that had grievously wronged you at anytime, anywhere, as long was you announce your intentions before hand. It was an old tradition that didn't see much use these days. Harry, however, had just announced his intentions publicly, not to a Ministry official in some secluded office. Everyone named would no doubt know within hours so he could now dismiss such basic courtesies as giving his opponent fair warning before attacking. He could make a pretty strong case should his actions ever lead him into legal trouble since his opponent had already been notified. Ambushes, poisonings, convenient fatal accidents, all were now very real possibilities. And perfectly legal.

They were all pulled out of their thoughts as Harry finished his incantation and he began to glow with a very faint blue light. Looking around in confusion, they were surprised that Dumbledore and the Potters were glowing as well. They had no idea what was going on but if the light smirk that was growing on Harry's face was anything to go by, it was nothing good for the other three people affected.

For the three indicated, it was a nerve wracking experience. Dumbledore, while knowing of this ritual, even how to perform it, his knowledge was rather limited and he had never experienced it himself so he was naturally surprised when his rather formidable mental defenses did nothing to impede the presence he now felt in his mind, going through his memories at an accelerated pace. He screwed his eyes shut tightly as he tried to concentrate more but it did him no good. Like James and Lily, he had the distinct, and unpleasant, impression that he was being judged.

As quickly as it began, the sensation vanished and the old headmaster's eyes snapped back open just in time to see three miniscule points of light shoot out of him and his two colleagues before entering young Harry Potter. Over the next several moments many more such lights flew into Diagon Alley from all over Great Britain and even parts of France and Germany before converging with the boy. Once the light show had slowed, then finally stopped, the glow surrounding Harry faded and he opened his eyes with a truly terrifying smile twisting across his face.

"GUILTY!" He shouted with an almost cackling laugh before apperating away. The noise around the alley exploded immediately as everyone tried to make their voices heard. After composing himself, Dumbledore stepped forward to remove Snape's head to give it a proper burial but found that, like his stunning spells, he was unable to pass through the shield that was evidently still in place. Many others discovered this for themselves as they surged forward to either spit on Voldemort's remains or just gawk at the scene in morbid curiosity. As far as he could tell, the barrier extended 360 degrees around the point where Harry had evidently began his little ritual before they arrived leaving a circular area with a twenty meter diameter in the center of the alley completely blocked off. Going over everything he knew of this ritual, he only vaguely remembered mention of a shield but he couldn't remember its purpose or how to get through it.

After a few more vain attempts to breach the shield, Dumbledore came to the conclusion that it would be advantageous to retire back to Hogwarts. While under normal circumstances, he would not be able to cast aside the temptation for attention that the death of the Dark Lord would bring, he had more pressing business to see to. Specifically, Harry Potter and the very real possibility that he may have destroyed Voldemort only to take his place. He has, after all, just declared war on some of the most respected wizards and witches in the country. Such an act was not that of a light wizard. There had to be some way that he could reason with the boy while guiding him back to the correct path.

XXX

An hour and a half later, Jacob Potter and the rest of the Gryffindor Quidditch team finished up their first practice of the year and were greatly surprised to find the school in an uproar when they stepped into the entrance hall. Students were running back and forth shouting but the volume of noise coming from the Great Hall drowned out any hope of understanding what they were saying. The team stood, looking around at the mayhem in confusion for several moments before a familiar face spurred Jacob into action.

"Colin, what is going on?" He asked the rather excitable sixth year as he bounded up to the group.

"An early copy of _The_ _Daily Prophet_ just came and announced that You-Know-Who is dead! I can't believe it, he's actually dead! And for good this time." He said quickly. It was a little hard to make out at first, he said it so fast that the words came out almost on top of each other.

"What, who killed him?" Jacob asked a little forcefully. It wasn't that he was upset that someone had gotten to the Dark Lord before him, far from it actually. He was relieved that he wouldn't have to do it but he was greatly confused since Dumbledore claimed that the prophecy said that he would be the only one capable of killing him.

"You didn't know?" Colin asked in confusion, obviously thinking that if anyone in the school had been aware of what happened it would be the Boy-Who-Lived. "Your brother killed him in Diagon Alley." Jacob looked confused for a moment before his jaw dropped in shock.

"When, how?"

"I don't know. I haven't been able to grab one of the copies of the _Prophet _yet. They only got here a few minutes ago and everyone's hogging them. I've only been able to get those basic details so far." Suddenly, Colin was knocked aside by an irate Lavender Brown. She stood, glaring at Jacob with nothing but hatred in her eyes and tears running down her cheeks as she fought to control her breathing.

"Lavender? What's wrong?" He asked carefully, not sure why she was upset or why it seemed to be directed at him. Despite the training that he had been receiving since he was eight years old, he never saw the blow coming. For such a small girl she carried quite a punch and nearly knocked Jacob off his feet. Jacob straightened up and looked at her in shock. Lavender pulled her arm back to hit him again but Ron Weasley quickly moved forward and grabbed her around the waist to pull her back. Six years of hearing nothing but giggling gossip and ridiculous divination drivel coming from the girl left everyone in the area unprepared for the explicit cursing that was pouring out of the girl's mouth as she tried to free herself from Ron's grasp. Even Ron, who grew up with five older brothers, felt his face go red due to some of the things she was saying.

"Put her down this instant!" Everyone turned to see Lisa Turpin and Terry Boot, the seventh year Ravenclaw prefects, moving towards them with Seamus Finnigan and Dean Thomas right behind them. With a simple nod of Lisa's head, Seamus and Dean moved forward to take Lavender from Ron.

"We'll see you upstairs." Both boys nodded to Terry before leading Lavender up the stairs towards the Hospital Wing where they hoped to get a calming draught. Of the other seventh year Gryffindors, Seamus and Dean were closer to Lavender and Parvati than they were to the others, so it was either take care of Lavender or take up where she left off and they didn't much feel like going to Azkaban for murdering the bloody Boy-Who-Lived at this time.

"LET ME GO, GOD DAMMIT! YOU'RE NOT GOING TO GET AWAY WITH THIS POTTER, HARRY'S GOING TO FUCK YOU UP, HE'S GOING TO HUNT YOU DOWN AND KILL YOU" While much of Lavender's rant was incomprehensible, this declaration rang throughout the entrance hall as clear as day. Most looked at the girl in shock while many of those that had already read the full article in the newspaper were decidedly nervous.

"WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON?" Jacob shouted in frustration. As an answer, Lisa threw her copy of the Prophet at him, which he caught against his chest, and just gazed at him with no emotion showing on her face. Both Ron and Ginny Weasley, while looking very confused why so much anger was being shown in light of Voldemort's death and why it was being directed at their friend, stayed where they were while the other members of the team chose to move off to the side, out of the line of fire from any attack that may come.

Jacob looked around in confusion for a moment before unfolding the newspaper and began reading. At first he paled slightly, even turned a little green, at the very descriptive account of what his brother had done to the Dark Lord. But as he read on, he seemed to lose all color entirely, first, at the realization that due to their late arrival, his sister-in-law and unborn niece or nephew was dead, and then at his brother's virtual declaration of war on all those he held responsible. Reading the list of names of both Death Eaters and Order members, he actually began to feel a little bit better, something that made him feel slightly dirty inside, because there was no way on earth that one man that had not even attended one class of his seventh year at Hogwarts could accomplish all that, eliminate that many skilled fighters on his own without being either captured or killed.

He was a bit ashamed to admit that he didn't know very much at all about his brother and he would be willing to bet that his parents didn't either, but he was sure that they or Dumbledore would be able to think of something before things got taken too far. He wasn't sure how Harry was able to defeat Voldemort but like most people in magical Britain, he still believed that Dumbledore was unbeatable. He was sure that he would be able to find Harry, where ever he was, and talk some sense into him.

"If you are wondering if Harry has ability to do as he said, the answer is certainly _yes_." Lisa spoke up. "Rightfully so, he blames all of you for his family's death and he will hunt you all down one by one until each and every last one of you is DEAD!" She hissed before stalking off. Tired of being out of the loop, Ron snatched the paper out of Jacobs hand and began reading it himself with his sister looking on from beside him. As they read, wide grins spread across their faces as the article announced that someone was finally planning to fight fire with fire where the Death Eaters were concerned. Those smiles quickly vanished and they paled considerably as they learned that the Order of the Phoenix would also be targeted and the reasons why. Five members of their family were named, Ron included, on what Rita Skeeter had termed _The Death List._ Not very poetic, but it got the point across.

Almost immediately after finishing, Ron threw down the paper and sprinted through the corridors, searching for Hermione, Jacob and Ginny following close behind. They found her sitting on the floor in the Gryffindor common room just staring out the window hugging her knees to her chest with tears streaming down her face. A copy of The Daily Prophet was torn to pieces right beside her.

When she first read the headlines, like everyone else she had been very enthusiastic, not to mention a little smug about the idea that she had apparently been right that Divination was a very imprecise branch of magic considering someone other than Jacob Potter had finished off the Dark Lord despite a certain prophecy. However, as she read on, she became more and more horrified.

Like many others, she had carried around a great deal of guilt because of what had happened to the Patils because of their inaction and although she felt that their decision was wrong for a great many reasons, at the time, she also believed that it was the best plan that they could come up with. They desperately needed the information that Professor Snape had been gathering so protecting his cover had been a top priority. Considering that only Who-Know-Who's inner circle knew about the attack before hand, it was believed that he had purposely gave them so much advanced warning as a means of testing Snape's loyalty since of all of them, he was the only one under suspicion. They simply could not warn them, Snape would have surely have been killed.

Afterwards, though she felt terribly guilty because of their deaths, she tried to rationalize that their deaths could have possibly have saved countless others. Since it would seem that no one had any advanced warning, the Dark Lord may have been convinced of Snape's loyalty and thus be privy to much more information. Information that could very well help them win this war in a much quicker fashion.

Now, that rationalization was gone, all that was left was her guilt and an all consuming fear that her life would soon be over. She had spent the last few years brushing off threats from certain Slytherins who wanted her dead for nothing more than having muggles for parents or being a friend of Jacob Potter, but for the most part these were threats from people that didn't have the ability to see them through.

As she sat there staring out the window, Hermione absently noted Jacob, Ron and Ginny enter the common room before approaching her. One quick glance in their direction and she could see that they were looking at her with concern but she honestly didn't care. They tried talking to her several times, telling her that everything would be alright, that Dumbledore or Mr. and Mrs. Potter would talk some sense into Harry before he did anything foolish. She just ignored them. Like her, they had dealt with threats being made against them numerous times and though they were clearly worried about what was going on, the also appeared to be treating this threat as any other.

Harry Potter, however, seemed to have both the ability and the desire to make his threats a reality and she honestly couldn't say how she would react if he did in fact come for her. On the one hand, she wasn't the type to simply lie down and die in the face of a challenge but on the other, the guilt she had been feeling since her fellow students' deaths had only multiplied with the knowledge that Padma had been pregnant. She just didn't know if she deserved to live anymore or if she even wanted to.

XXX

Not much more than an hour later, Lisa Turpin stood at the front of the Room of Requirements, also known as the Come and Go Room, as the majority of the student body debated what had happened in the last couple of hours. It was plane to see that despite Voldemort's demise, a great many people, far from feeling festive at the death of the Dark Lord, were angered by the actions that led up to it.

"Alright, quiet down!" Lisa nearly shouted as she raised her wand, emitting a loud blast that sounded strikingly similar too a cannon. The room was instantly silenced with the exception of a few moans as various students rubbed their ears in an effort to relieve the ringing that was echoing inside their heads.

"Now, first of all, I got some details concerning the ritual Harry preformed that I was asked to make you all aware of."

"How did you get that? Professor Flitwick told me that the information was tightly controlled by the Department of Mysteries." Terry Boot asked curiously.

"My father sent it to me. I got it just half an hour ago. Secrecy in this matter is now rather moot since the Department of Mysteries is sending details to the _Daily Prophet_ for a special edition that is to be sent out this evening. And for all of you hoping, this does not include instructions on how to perform the ritual." Most of the Ravenclaws and more than a few of the Slytherins sagged in disappointment.

"From what I can gather, it seems the Department of Mysteries is hoping to limit the loss of life in this situation. They feel that if everyone is aware of the details that they may be less inclined to do something foolish without understanding what they're getting into." At this point many shot pointed looks at the Gryffindors present.

"Now, from what it says here, the ritual is called the _Light of Justice_. It's an inherently neutral ritual as opposed to being strictly light or dark magic. Even You-Know-Who could have preformed it with positive results if he had been suitably wronged. What it does is basically ask magic itself to make a judgment in a conflict such as this as opposed to taking it before the Wizengamot which is often either incompetent or corrupt since it relies on people. That is what Harry did, he appealed to the living force of magic to make a judgment regarding those that were responsible for his family's deaths."

"You're saying that magic has basically found all these people guilty of murder?" Susan Bones asked in confusion.

"Not necessarily. In the Daily Prophet it said that there were many small orbs of light that entered Diagon Alley and converged with Harry. Many of us saw various lights similar to that here. These lights were what they call Death Warrants. A way of magic letting Harry know who it found to be guilty. And if you read the article carefully, this includes Headmaster Dumbledore and James and Lily Potter. There is a possibility that some of those named are innocent of any involvement while there may also be those found guilty that he hadn't named." Many were looking decidedly uncomfortable, having seen at least one of these lights coming from a fellow student or professor. "Unfortunately, this is where the details get a little sketchy since this ritual hasn't been preformed in an awful long time. Harry's primary targets for this ritual were the Death Eaters and Dumbledore's Order of the Phoenix, so everyone connected with either of those groups has been judged and although not all of them were involved in the attack on the Patils, those that weren't may be found guilty of other things that magic feels warrants their execution. I'm not particularly sure but I would assume that these people were judged by a scan of their minds so that the truth would be known so it's possible that associates of either group could have been found guilty as well even if they are not officially members of those groups. Magic has, in effect, found these people guilty of murder and sentenced them to death and Harry is its chosen executioner."

"So he has the right to kill whomever he pleases?" Hermione Granger demanded from the back of the room where no one had seen her. She had finally gotten tired of her friends trying to convince her that everything was going to be alright and decided to spend some time in the library to help her calm down, or at least focus on something else. On the way, she noticed just about every student she passed appeared to be heading in the exact same direction and seemed to go quite when they noticed her, sending her either furious glares or avoiding eye contact altogether. Despite the downward spiral her mind was taking, she was still extremely curious by nature so naturally wanted to know where everyone was going. She was surprised to find them all entering the Room of Requirements which at this current time closely resembled the Great Hall.

"Judging by your complexion, Granger," Lisa sneered in contempt. "As well as the list of those Harry had named, I'm going to assume that you have been found guilty yourself. But to answer your question, no, he does not have the right to kill anyone he chooses. Only those that Magic has deemed to be guilty or those that attempts to stop him using violence or if he acts in self defense. Should he kill an innocent, he will lose Magic's support and it will strike him down itself.

"Now," Lisa continued as she scanned the crowd in front of her. "We have to decide what we are going to do. In my mind, we have two choices, we can rally around our professors and fellow students or we mind our own damn business and stay out of it. Each of you is of course free to make your own decision but I think it's high time that we put aside all of this house rivalry nonsense and work together."

"Its quite clear that you want to stay out of it," Daphne Greengrass spoke up. "If the majority of those of us here believe we shouldn't let Potter kill our housemates and Professors, you would stand by that decision and help?"

"As much as it disgusts me, yes I would." For the next twenty minutes, various students made their arguments as to whether or not they should get involved. The primary argument for those that believed that Harry should be stopped at all costs was that killing was obviously wrong and anyone who would even think of doing such a thing was obviously evil. However, a great many within that room had lost family and friends to the Death Eaters the last several years and they weren't exactly sympathetic to either the Death Eaters or those that would let them do as they wished as the Order had done in regards to the Patils. In the end, it was overwhelmingly decided that they would not stand in Harry's way. The dozen or so that had voted to stand with their fellow students were decidedly nervous that they didn't have anywhere near the support that they thought they would have.

Many of the Gryffindors present chose to stand with their house mates but the vast majority of the other three houses were determined to remain on the sidelines. The Slytherins, though they were many things, weren't exactly the type to openly invite attack. They were survivors first and foremost and did not see any advantage in standing against someone who could torture and kill the Dark Lord and their own head of house who was quite powerful himself. The Ravenclaws were predictable in their support for their own housemates. While Harry may not have been very sociable, they all respected his intellect and Padma had been very popular.

The Hufflepuffs, however, had been a complete surprise. Most of those in the room expected them to give their complete support to their Gryffindor colleagues but they chose to go the other way. For a house that valued loyalty above all other traits, the actions of the Order of the Phoenix was unforgivable and they would not stand in the way of a man who intended to avenge his murdered family on those that were directly responsible.

"Those of you that wish to fight, you are of course free to change your minds at any time. After all, offering your support is all well and good right now but it's a completely different matter when the one you are supposed to be fighting is standing in front of you with wand in hand. But you should remember this well, if you chose to pit yourself against Harry, you will get no help from us."

XXX

"Antoninus, I hope you are doing well." Antoninus Croaker looked up from his paperwork with a slightly annoyed expression on his face. He had been expecting this visit but he was by no means looking forward to it.

"Why don't we skip the pleasantries, Albus." He growled as he threw down his quill. "You're here to discuss Harry Potter, so what do you want?"

"Very well." Dumbledore sighed. "I need information concerning the _Light of Justice_."

"Ah, so the great Albus Dumbledore has come to realize that his research isn't as complete as he thought it was." The old Unspeakable chuckled without humor.

"I will admit that that is indeed the case." He admitted uncomfortably. "I thought that I had had a thorough grasp on the theory but there seems to be many holes in the information I have at my disposal."

"Such as?"

"From what I understand, the ritual proceeded as normal until those of us targeted had our minds invaded. I was unaware of any such…"

"That was merely the method in which magic determines your guilt. Every memory you have accumulated over your life was reviewed and the appropriate sentence was ordered. Through this, magic was able to identify any within your group that has earned a death sentence, whether they had knowledge of the attack on the Patils or not. The same would hold true for the Death Eaters."

"I see."

"Was there anything else?"

"Yes, as a matter of fact. During the ritual, young Mr. Potter was able to erect a very powerful shield that not only blocked any magical attack but also prevented us from approaching physically. My experience has shown that such rituals don't react well to other forms of magic being introduced. Anything new would take a massive recalculation within each of the ritual's components."

"But nothing new was introduced, Albus." Croaker smirked slightly, pleased that Dumbledore of all people obviously had so little in the way of real information when he had previously thought that he knew the _Light of Justice_ well enough to perform it himself. "The shield is a protection of sorts. It prevents anyone from interfering with the completion of the ritual and if the offense is great enough, it will remain intact while those that have been found guilty are dealt with."

"What is the purpose of keeping it up? The ritual has been completed so there is no hope of stopping it."

"For the exact purpose that Mr. Potter is employing it, to display and protect his trophies, to show all that he is succeeds and to send a message, a warning, to all not to repeat the mistakes that had led to it." Albus sat down heavily in the chair opposite his old friend. He had thought that the defeat of Voldemort would have been a great day but it was turning out to be a complete nightmare that had the potential to lead to more violence and terror than Voldemort could have ever hoped to accomplish himself. The sight of severed heads in the center of Diagon Alley would certainly not have a positive influence on the wizards and witches that see them especially if many more join the two that are already there.

"How did young Harry discover this ritual?" He mumbled. He was merely asking out loud, not directed at anyone in particular but Croaker answered nonetheless.

"That's easy to answer, he learned it here." The head of the Department of Mysteries answered rather smugly. When Dumbledore just looked at him in confusion, he elaborated. "Like most within this department, Mr. Potter was approached shortly before the end of his sixth year and started as a trainee as soon as Hogwarts let out for the summer."

"If that is the case, why are you telling me? You normally keep the identities of you recruits under numerous secrecy spells."

"Should he succeed in his little quest, I sincerely doubt that he would consent to return. His employment at this stage is merely a formality. He will no doubt resign once he is finished should he survive."

"You have no intention of stopping him, even if he personally walks into your department?" Dumbledore demanded.

"Of course not. His actions thus far have been completely legal, though I suppose many could argue about the legality of what he did to Snape and Riddle before he killed them. First of all, any Ministry employee that misses work because they are involved in any sort of legal blood feud of this nature will be assured that their jobs will be secured until they are finished, so, by Ministry law, Mr. Potter still has access to this department. Also, Potter has preformed the Light of Justice and you know perfectly well that anything he does in the future will be completely legal as long as he stays within the parameters of that ritual. Also, his actions are perfectly justified, so I ask you, why should I stop him when he is doing exactly as I would if I were in his position?" Dumbledore just glared at the man across from him for several moments before sighing in resignation. Croaker had always been particularly difficult to deal with in situations where he felt that those he worked with were at fault. It appeared that this situation would be no different.

"I suppose I can respect that." The old headmaster finally agreed. "Since you obviously know more about the young man's abilities than I, can you tell me how someone that has not even completed his education could overcome not only a wizard of Severus' ability but also the most powerful dark wizard in centuries?"

"Any abilities that Mr. Potter may have will remain confidential as is department policy, however, I will give you a bit of advice. If you intend to present any form of challenge to him, you would do well to remember that though he may not be the most powerful or experienced wizard around, he is very intelligent and extremely creative. He will not come after you in a conventional manner that you will be able to predict. Also, if you have him cornered, outnumbered or even captured, do not for one moment underestimate him, if you do, some unfortunate soul will be stuck cleaning up whatever is left of your body."

"You seem to think very highly of him, you also clearly hold a glimmer of hope that he succeeds, so why are you telling me this?"

"You're right, I do hope he succeeds, after all, what you and your Order did was unforgivable. Any man in his position should do the same. As to why I'm telling you, well, since news of what occurred in Diagon Alley reached us, there has been some pretty heavy betting going on down here. I understand that the goblins are placing odds on it as well and my money is on Potter, however, you and I go way back so I thought I would give you a little friendly advice, for old times sake. Despite that the odds are not in his favor, I figured that you should at least have a general idea of what you were up against."

XXX

Two hours later Dumbledore was sitting at the head of the table in formal dinning room of Potter Manor as the members of the Order of the Phoenix filed in. Most of them were looking decidedly nervous but a few seemed to be attempting to keep their anger in check. Those few took one look around the room and the people that occupied it and knew without a doubt that everything they had heard and read in the Prophet was true.

Albus sighed softly as he tried to think of anything he could do to contain this threat. He had no doubt that they could overcome the young man despite whatever unorthodox tactics he chose to employ but the sticking point was how they were going to do that without further loss of life. He had already attempted numerous tracking spells to find the young man but they were all unsuccessful.

James Potter was one of the last to enter the room after putting his distraught wife to bed. She simply couldn't attend the meeting in the condition she was in. All the hard truths that Harry had exposed to the entire wizarding world were taking a heavy toll on her, truths that the Potters and everyone around them subconsciously ignored for years. Not to mention the fact that they were partly responsible for deaths of a daughter-in-law they had never met and their unborn grandchild.

Moving towards the head of the table, James noticed Dumbledore sitting in his chair and felt an almost irresistible urge to curse the man. That chair was reserved for the head of the Potter family and the head of the Potter family only. Under normal circumstances, he wouldn't want to make a scene, but as it was, he was barely holding on to his sanity himself.

Although he had been a key factor in the Order's decision to wait before intervening in the attack on the Patils, James felt just as guilty as everyone else concerning the families fate, even more so, in fact. That they were directly responsible for the deaths of two teenage girls was almost inconsequential when compared to the fact that one of those girls had been carrying a future heir to the Potter name. He had by no means simply brushed of the attack as unimportant but since he had never met the Patils before they didn't seem as real to him as those he had interacted with on a routine basis. That sort of emotional denial was now gone. Harry's words had striped away the illusions of faceless strangers and put them into a very uncomfortable position within his mind. The area he reserved for family.

He had tried to deny it at first, after all, the son that he had hardly realized existed until a few short hours ago could have simply been making up a story as a means of getting even with those that had ignored him all his life but after putting his wife down to rest, James had entered the library and took one look at the family tree that was detailed in the back of the Potter Family Grimoire and sure enough, beside Harry's name was Padma Patil Potter. Padma's name was outlined in black and gave the date of her death. James had stood there for quite some time, just staring down at the book in horror as the last of his illusions came crumbling down.

"_Get out of my chair!"_ James nearly growled as he stalked up to his old headmaster. Dumbledore looked up at him in shock for a moment.

"Excuse me?"

"Move! Now!"

"Oh, yes, I do apologize, force of habit, you know!" Albus said with a slight smile as he stood up. James just grunted as he sat down heavily in his chair while Dumbledore took the one to his right. Looking around, the leader of the Order noted that no one seemed to take notice of the slight confrontation as they were all involved in whispered conversations or occupied with their own thoughts. As just about everyone was already present, he chose to get the meeting underway, any late stragglers could easily be brought up to speed but time really was of the essence in this case. He really needed to get back to Hogwarts. He had every confidence that Minerva could keep order but emotions would certainly be running high today.

Dumbledore opened his mouth to call for silence when Kingsley Shacklebolt arrived with a grim look on his normally composed face. Kingsley was one of the few people in this world who mere presence demanded attention so it was not at all surprising that the many conversations taking place around the room immediately quieted as every turned to face him. The worried expression he wore did not set anyone's nerves at ease. While the veteran Auror took just about every threat seriously, no one present could imagine the man being intimidated by the words of an angry teenager, that clearly meant that something else must have happened.

"Kingsley?" James Potter asked with a frown. "What's the matter?"

"WHAT'S THE MATTER?" Kingsley snapped in reply. "You son just attacked Azkaban, that's what's the matter."

MMM

Alright, a little explanation with regards to this story. First, I started it before I took over To End All Wars but shelved it because I didn't want too many projects going at once. I decided to post this now because lately I've been in a morbid sort of mood and have been thinking about really strange ways to kill off various characters in my stories but I didn't want that to ruin them for people who don't particularly enjoy reading that sort of thing so instead I'm posting this and it will serve as my outlet for violence.

Now, for those of you who have taken the time to read Unforgiven by Goofball44306, you will no doubt see how that story inspired this one, at least this first chapter anyway. I used the events in that fic as the catalyst for Harry's actions here. I wanted to write something where Harry doesn't just kill Voldemort for Padma's death but also goes after everyone else that he holds responsible for the simple fact that I would like to think that I would do the same in that position.

I think that's all I wanted to say for the time being but if I forgot anything I'm include it in the next chapter.

Like always, any questions, comments or suggestions, leave a review or e-mail me and I'll try to answer as soon as possible.


End file.
